Rachel's Story Chapter Two
by Manchester's Stubborn Pansy
Summary: This chapter introduces you Lester's Cardwell's mother. RangeMan reaches out to her so they can help her son, Lester.


RACHEL'S STORY

CHAPTER TWO

RACHEL BEGINS HER JOB AT THE TV STATION

Rachel met with Janice Ruley. Janice had her fill out all the paperwork. Janice is an investigative reporter for the local TV station.

Janice told Rachel that Stephanie is the one who suggested her for the job.

Rachel was grateful. As Janice showed her around. Rachel felt she could be comfortable with her surroundings.

Janice took her to the IT (Information Technology) Department. They gave her a laptop and set up a password for her once all of the information from her paperwork was plugged into their systems.

The IT Director explained everything then showed Rachel how to sign onto the mainframe computer.

Rachel picked up everything very quickly.

At lunch time Janice treated her to lunch.

Janice asked Rachel if she thought she would like the job.

"I am fascinated with journalism. I studied it in college. When I found out I was pregnant with Julie I dropped out. Back then girls who were pregnant were shunned. I don't have a degree so I never

pursued a career in it."

"Well, I know one thing" Janice said. "If you like the work then you will be just fine. If you have any questions just ask me. You will be doing about the same thing Stephanie does at RangeMan and they don't come any better than Stephanie in digging up dirt on people. You might also ask her for some pointers as well. Everyone she works with loves her."

"Then why is the Burg so set against her?"

"The Burg Grapevine thinks the only thing women are only good enough for being wives, brooders and homemakers. But I never wanted a life like that. Neither does Stephanie."

"I enjoyed being a mother most of the time. But digging up the story always seemed interesting and important to me."

"Then I think we will work together just fine."

They went back to work.

Rachel worked until 6 PM.

Rachel drove to RangeMan to pick up the kids.

Cal was still at the desk.

"Good evening, Ms. Rachel. Here is your ID badge. You will find Bradley and his friend on the second floor in the gym."

"Thank you, Cal. Has Bradley been behaving for you?"

"Oh, yes Ma'am. Hal is teaching him Martial Arts combined with boxing. So he should be able to defend himself very nicely if the need arises."

"Thank you Cal. Is Ranger here?"

"He is on the fifth floor. Do you need to speak to him?"

"If he is not busy."

Cal called Ranger's extension.

"Sir, Rachel is here and would like to speak to you."

"Send her up to five. I will meet her at the elevator."

"Yes, Sir. Ms. Rachel, he requests you to meet him on the fifth floor. He will be waiting."

"Thank you, Cal."

Rachel punches the five button on the elevator.

Ranger is waiting when the elevator opened.

Ranger showed her to his office.

"Have a seat, Rachel. How was your first day?"

"I think I will enjoy my job. Thank you again for the good words."

"You are welcome. What can I help you with?"

"Janice told me I will be doing the same thing Stephanie does. Do you think she will be willing to help me learn how to dig the information out of their system?"

"Let me ask her." Ranger dials Stephanie's extension.

"Babe, can you come to my office? Rachel has some questions for you."

"Sure. Be right there."

Stephanie walks into the office.

"Hi, Rachel. How can I help?"

"Janice said I would be doing something similar to what you do. Do you think you can show me how to get the information from their system?"

"Sure I can."

"They gave me a laptop. Could you find time this week end to show me what questions are the best to get the most results?"

"Do we have plans this week end, Dear?"

"No, Babe. I thought I would spend time with the boys. I want Bradley to feel at home here too."

"Thank you Carlos. That means the world to me to have you accept Bradley. I think he was thinking he would be left out with Ron gone."

"Rachel, will it upset you to have me treat him like I do Ricardo? Ron spent all those years raising Julie as his own. I would like to consider Bradley as my son as well but not if it will upset you or Julie."

"Carlos I think to be accepted as your son may help Bradley to gain some self confidence. I had no way to help him in that area. I think sometimes he thinks Julie is more important that he is since I don't have access to that kind of money you do."

"Babe, will this upset you?"

"No, Dear. I think Bradley needs to feel wanted and accepted. If you treat him like Ricardo and Julie he will come to believe that he too is worthy of someone's love."

"Then I will address him as "Son" more often so he gets used to hearing it. Then maybe he will begin to believe it. He reminds me of myself so much I am worried about him. With all his losses and the low self esteem he is going to be a prime candidate for the gangs. They could easily recruit him. I would also like to pair him with Hector who knows gangs inside and out. Hector can catch any sign of that the gangs are trying to recruit him."

"I would appreciate that, Carlos. This is one of my fears as well."

"Will "YOU" be happy here? It is nothing like Miami."

"I think I will once I get over the culture shock. But thanks for the safe house. I feel safe and I hope the kids do also."

"Nick told me that Julie has made a friend named Gloria. She is related to Hector. The group of four girls have all been checked out and they are clean, honest girls. Theirs is one of the popular groups in the high school"

"So you have assigned a bodyguard for her? What will that cost me?"

"Rachel, have I ever charge you for taking care of Julie? No price is what I keep telling Stephanie. Julie is the same. No charge to keep her safe. Besides what kind of business would I have if I were not protecting my own family?"

"Thank you, Carlos. You have to understand you and I never had a close relationship with us living this far apart. I appreciate the depth of your protection for not only Julie but Bradley also."

"It is my pleasure. Would you like to go watch the training Hal is putting Bradley and Lester Cardwell through?"

"Bradley has a friend here too?"

"Yes he does. Lester Cardwell is Bradley's new friend and student guide. Lester's mother is a single mother. She lost her husband 6 months ago. She is still struggling so I let Bradley bring him here so his mother can relax a little bit. She doesn't make enough money to pay a babysitter so I was told. If I am watching Bradley until you get off then it is not costing me any more to watch Lester also.

Lester and Bradley can help each other through this rough patch together."

"I so under-estimated you when we were young. I always felt you just shoved me off but now I know you actually knew best. I never once stopped to realize how deep your feelings were."

"Rachel, we were both too young. The brat I was back then did nothing to instill trust in you. Back then it was supposed to be a quick lay but I always was attracted to you. So let's just work on finishing raising our blended family together as one solid unit to the best of our abilities."

Thank you again. Let's go check on the boys. Carlos, where is Julie?"

"Upstairs taking a cooking lesson from Ella. Julie's request."

"You are too good to us."

Ranger took her and Stephanie to the second floor gym.

They boys were going over the routine Hal had set up for them.

Rachel was so proud how well Bradley was doing.

Hal then showed them how to do cooling down stretches.

Nick then told them the next time they practiced they would have proper gym outfits.

Lester Cardwell is floored with even being here but to get this kind of attention is shocking to him.

They go back to the gym to meet Ranger.

"Well, how did you do, Bradley?"

"Hal said I did alright. I had trouble at first be he showed me how to do it differently and will still get the move right. I think I will like it."

"What about you Lester? What did you think?"

"I enjoyed it too. Sure beats hiding in the house until Mom gets off work."

"Well boys, how would you like to come here every day after school? You will be safe here plus you can learn man new and different training methods. Plus if you have homework to do and you get stuck you have 35 guys to figure it out with you. That is if you would like to do it that way?"

"Mr. Manoso, I would like to do this, please." Lester C said.

"That badge you are wearing will get you into the building. But you will have to have who everything is on the desk to get you an escort to where you want to go. You see my business is in security and if I let you run wherever just might compromise the security of this building. You have to leave your badge at the desk when you leave. Do you understand these rules?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good I will take you at your work. You will be welcome here even if Bradley doesn't happen to be here. I was told you lost your father in a car accident."

"Yes, sir. 6 months ago. Mom is working but she doesn't make enough money to be able to afford anything extra. She can't even afford a babysitter so I have to stay hidden so DHS people won't catch me alone and take me away from her."

"Well, Lester. When your mother comes to pick you up I will talk to her and make sure she will agree to let you come here after school. We will pick you up and she can pick you up from here.

"She won't let me. She has this thing about taking hand outs, welfare or pity."

"Was your father ever in the service?"

"Yes, sir. He was in the Army. He even survived Vietnam."

"Then Lester I think we might be able to help your mother. You see each of RangeMen are veterans. As such it is our sworn duty to help any veteran who needs our help. This includes their families. We will talk to your mother. Any training we give you or her will always be free of charge."

Lester Cardwell looked at Ranger.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. It is our way of repaying your father's service to our Country. We honor the veterans and

their families and never give them pity only honor.

Lester Cardwell turned to Bradley and hugged him.

"To think Brad you move to our town. I am the one who gets the gift of friends from a company like this.. Thank you for moving here, Bradley. I hope we are friends for life."

Bradley hugged him back.

"Lester, I have never been good at making friends but I just felt comfortable with you. I am

glad Daddy could help you."

"Thank you, Son. But we only help those that truly actually need something we can help with."

"See Lester. This man has given me a place to live, he got my mother a good job and even though he is not my real father he is willing to raise me as his own son. I am thankful to him also for bringing us here. It started out only to protect us from a hurricane. Now I hope I never have to go back I was also given you as my friend and I don't want to lose you either."

Lester and Bradley hugged each other again.

Rachel walked up to Lester Cardwell.

"I am Bradley's mother. My name is Rachel. You will be welcome at my house any time you want to come by."

Stephanie walked up to Lester Cardwell.

"I am Ranger's wife. You can call me Stephanie or Steph. I am happy too to have you coming by. We are a very Military Service organization. You are welcome to our facilities any time you want to use them. Without a father's influence then let these men help guide you into manhood. They know what it means and how hard it is to grown up in today's world. All of us would love to be your mentors."

"Thank you, Stephanie. I don't expect you to understand but when Mom is gone I am always afraid I will get caught or someone will know I am alone and break in. I have lost Dad how lost will I be if I lose Mom too because she can't afford a sitter for me?"

"Then it will be our privilege to provide you a safe place until your Mother comes home."

"Thank you all. I don't know how to thank you for helping me so much."

Stephanie walked up to Lester C.

"We will just add you to our extended family. We don't have to be blood relatives to love each other. So I will just add you to my list of people I care about and to keep in touch with."

"Thank you, Stephanie. I hope Mom won't make me stop coming. She hates pity."

"Leave that to me. I will talk to her. Because an offer of free without strings is not an offer you get every day. Not to mention it will protect you from DHS so both of you can stop worrying about that."

Lester let out a deep sigh.

"This day is the best day of my life since Dad and I went to a NASCAR race in Delaware. That was only four days before he died."

"Who is your favorite driver, Lester?" Lester Santos asked.

"Dale Earnhardt, Jr."

"Have you ever met him?"

"No. Daddy couldn't afford the price of the pit pass. But I still got to see the race he was in."

"I know Dale Jr. I will see to it you get to meet him. He helps us often with our programs to help the families of fallen soldiers. I am sure he will glad to meet you."

"You don't have to do that. I just like him."

"We will see how we can work that out."

Manny came into the room.

"Ranger, Lester's Mother is in the Lobby.

"Escort her up here. We will show her the facilities and see if we can't convince her to let us be your babysitter, Lester. Would you like that, Lester?"

"I would love that!"

Amy was shown into the gym.

Ranger stepped forward.

"My name is Ranger Manoso. This is my company. We are all former military veterans. Some of us still works for the government in Special Ops. Here have a seat. I understand you have been struggling since your husband died?"

"Yes. My whole life I never believed in welfare. I have always earned my own way. I left home at 15 because my father was an alcoholic. I have been on my own ever since. I don't want no handouts or pity."

"This company often helps veterans and their families when we see a need. This building as you can tell is very secure. I also heard that you can not afford a babysitter. What I would like to propose to you is I will put our offer in writing if you require. It will clearly state that is an offer to honor your husband and should not be considered to be considered a handout but our way of repaying a debt for the freedoms we are free to use every day because of your husband's service to our Country. I will also have one of my men to pick Lester up after school and bring here. Lester has stated to us that he actually lives in fear of losing you too because he is home alone. That would be a disgrace to your husband and to you for this to happen. Please let us serve you as partial repayment for your husband's service."

"I can't afford to pay you." Amy said.

"Mrs. Cardwell, your husband was in Vietnam. That alone qualifies you for one of our programs to give back to the veterans even if they are no longer here. I am offering you to keep your son protected while you are working. Here at RangeMan we have a medical clinic open 24/7. Should he be sick at any time and you don't want him to go to school then bring him here. Still no charge. Beside if Lester would get sick you miss work which will impact your income. This way you won't lose any time from work. When he is in our facilities he will receive training in the Martial Arts. He will have his supper provided with healthy food. While the men are training him they are keeping their own skills sharper. So he will be helping my men at the same time."

"I can't let you waste your money on us."

Lester Santos stepped up.

He knelt down by her chair.

He looked into eyes.

"Amy, I am the man who called you this afternoon. I am one of the men who will be helping to train your son. Why would I do this you ask? It is simple. I like your son. But in today's world there are more negative influences than positive ones. Our whole company wants to save our future generation one person at a time. It is an investment in our Country's future to give them a chance to grow into decent caring men. I was the one who picked up your son. He can tell you how much he has enjoyed his evening here. He is learning the basics of Tae kwon do. He is a quick learner. Please let us help both you and him as an honor to your fallen husband.. We love your son already. I, for one do not want any gang member to recruit him and lead him astray. Please, Amy, let us help you. Is your pride worth losing your son over?"

Amy wiped the tears off her cheek.

Lester handed her his handkerchief.

"This is so not what I am used to."

Stephanie stepped up to Amy.

"I am Stephanie Manoso. I am Ranger's wife. I know how destructive the Burg can be and how vindictive they can be. They have put me down all my life because I didn't live up to their standards. This is Bradley's first day in this school system. Lester was assigned to be his student guide. They have hit it off because Bradley lost his father also. This is a tragedy the boys share.

"I am sorry, Bradley." Amy said.

"Ms. Cardwell, I feel like I have known your son a long time. PLEASE let him come here with me. He is my only friend I have in town."

"You are so cute, Bradley. Because you said "please" and asked so politely I will agree."

"Mrs. Cardwell, in this room you see parts of four families. There are 35 Uncles you haven't met. Believe me we know how to keep your son safe. I have a son who just had a kidney transplant from Ranger's older daughter. This is Rachel Martine. She is both Bradley and Julie's mother. We are trying to blend all of these families so everyone has love from many directions. Would you consider letting Lester blend in with our families? He is a good kid but he also has void that I think the men of this company can fill for him. You just met Lester Santos. He is Ranger's cousin so you can tell we are family oriented around here.

"Why do you want to do this?"

"Because we use our freedoms every day. Even though your husband's service has ended we still use our freedoms that he fought for. Then the debt is renewed every day. It is never repaid. So we would like to repay the partial debt by helping you and your son. Is there anything else we can help you with so we can take care of you too?"

"I am fine. I was just worried about Lester being a latch key kid. I was afraid of DHS or someone knowing he was alone, Kidnapping or him getting hurt was also a few of my worries. I never gave the gang connection any thought. Lester would be a good candidate. That would tear my heart right out of my chest if he got involved with a gang."

"Then by coming here that will never happen! Bradley comes here until Rachel gets off. The guys that work here love having the kids around. See, Amy, because of their government contracts they often do not have kids of their own. Then having the boys here will give them the feeling of family that they wouldn't get anywhere else."

"You sure they won't mind having rambunctious kids around them?"

Lester walked back over to Amy.

"Amy, your son has been a gentleman all day. We have been proud to have him here. Since our names are the same it has pleased me to know end to have another Lester around."

Amy took a deep breath.

"Son, what do you want to do?"

"Mommy, I have had as much fun as when Daddy took me to the race. These men are willing to teach me Martial Arts! Not to mention they have offered to mentor me with my schoolwork. Thanks to Hal and Lester my homework is already done. Stephanie looked it over. She said I would get an "A". Remember how hard it was for me to learn my multiplication tables? Hal showed me a neat way to remember them. They have already helped me with my schoolwork without doing it for me. Mom I would feel safer to be here until you get off than I would if I were home alone."

"You have given me very informative reason for your actions. I feel your intentions are honorable so then who am I to deny all this free help?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Cardwell. Your son has helped Bradley to feel wanted which is something I was afraid he wouldn't find when we moved here." Rachel said.

"Amy, can we get your contact numbers? If we need you we can call you." Lester asked.

"Sure".

"It has been fun having another Lester around. I have chuckled several times because someone

would say "Lester" and we both would answer. Also if you need any repairs done at home let us know because we have carpenters, plumbers, painters and several men have construction backgrounds so we

can get any job done in no time."

"Good thinking, Lester." Ranger said.

"We are all here for you too." Lester said.

"I am over whelmed with your generosity."

"Oh, I forgot to let you know. Ricardo had a kidney transplant from Rachel and my oldest daughter, Julie. She is 16. She is also Bradley's adopted sister. They have different mothers but we all have decided we want to be true family. Maybe you will come to trust us enough to accept us as part of your family as well." Ranger said.

"I appreciate your suggestions. I do trust your decisions. I also appreciate your caring of my son I need to get Lester home, he has school in the morning."

"Then you will not object if Lester here picks up your son, Lester, from school."

"Why don't share information. I will add Lester to his pick up list and as an emergency number at the school. Sorry if I sounded ungrateful but I was afraid there would hidden strings."

Lester, Lester C and Amy walked to the elevator. They ride to the lobby. They both copy down the phone numbers and house addresses.

Lester Santos thought "at least I don't have to ask for her numbers". Lester knew he was attracted to this 5 foot 5 inch, blonde with the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. Emeralds had nothing on Amy!

Lester S knew he would be using that phone number in the near future. When he got his nerve up. She was all he could think about.

Then Lester thought "Hell, I am as bad as Ranger!" Thinking about how Ranger acted when he first met Stephanie. "Hope I get as lucky as he did" Was the last thought Lester S had as he opened the car door for Amy.

"Thank you for letting us borrow your son."

"Thank you for keeping him safe. I didn't realize how much danger I was putting him in until talking to you."

"I will see you tomorrow Lester." Lester S said to Lester C.

"Thank you for having me. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again."

"Then I will see you both tomorrow."

Amy backed the car out of the parking slot.

Amy waved back at Lester.

Amy drove home with a multitude of thoughts running through her head.

Amy felt a sense of peace and safety thanks to RangeMan.

That night her dreams were of only one RangeMan!

She woke up laughing at herself for even thinking Lester Santos would want someone like her.

Better be careful what you wish for Amy!


End file.
